Alternative Processes: Vandyke Brown Prints

Instructed by Cathie McCormick Ph.D.

No need for film negatives for this alternative process printing process. We use the ultraviolet light of the sun to develop an emulsion brushed on cotton paper. The negative is a transparency printed on an office laser printer. Use our available “negatives” to print a photo, or place objects on the paper to create a photogram.

The cotton paper is prepared with a solution of starch before applying the light-sensitive material with a brush. Once the emulsion dries, your composition is put in place and exposed to sunlight. Since the solution does not respond to fluorescent light, this process does not require a darkroom or safe light. In this three-hour workshop, you will create several of your own compositions, experience preparing the paper for exposure, and see your images come to life during the post-exposure washing process.

If you wish to bring your own 8.5 x 11” transparency “negative,” here is a link to the tutorial.

This workshop is weather dependent, in the case of rain an alternative date will be announced. 

About the instructor:

Cathie McCormick, Assistant Teaching Professor Emerita of Communications at Penn State University, is an award-winning photographer and clay artist who taught photography and other communication courses at Penn State Harrisburg until her retirement in 2021. She has shown her photography work locally at the Art Association of Harrisburg, here at Susquehanna Art Museum, and in a one-person show, Aging Well, at the Yellowbird Cafe. Her show Cityscapes/Landscapes has been featured at several community organizations since 2020. Her clay work is on display at Mud Queen Pottery in Linglestown. She is an active volunteer with SAM as a gallery host and as an assistant with VanGo outreach workshops. 

Your Registration is your RSVP!​

Contact Bonnie Mae Carrow by email at BCarrow@SusquehannaArtMuseum.org for more information.